Mueller shoots down conspiracy theory that he tipped off CNN to Roger Stone arrest

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office shot down a conspiracy theory that it tipped off CNN that Trump ally Roger Stone was about to be indicted.

In a filing with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, the special counsel’s office asked the court to deny a motion filed by Stone’s attorneys asking the special counsel to explain events that occurred surrounding the public release of Stone’s indictment.

In their motion, Stone’s attorneys accused Mueller’s office of giving reporters a heads up that an indictment was imminent, even though CNN has said that it decided to conduct a stakeout at Stone’s house the morning of his arrest because of a swirl of grand jury activity that occurred the night before.

“The defendant… suggests (without evidence) that the government publicly released the indictment before the defendant’s arrest thereby ‘enabling news media to attend and witness Stone’s 6 a.m. arrest,'” the special counsel writes. “This argument is without merit. As set forth above, and as reflected in the defendant’s own exhibits, the indictment was not publicly released until after the defendant was arrested.”

Mueller’s office also argued that Stone had provided no evidence to contradict CNN’s account of how it pieced together that he might be getting arrested on January 25th.